Taking Chances
by HC247
Summary: What do you say to taking chances? What do you say to jumping off the edge never knowing if there's solid ground below or hand to hold or hell to pay? What do you say? ALAYM fluff. Fiyerba


_Don't know much about your life  
Don'__ 't know much about your world, but  
__Don't want to be alone tonight,  
On this planet they call Earth  
__  
You don't know much about my past,  
and I don't have a future figured out  
Maybe this is going too fast  
And maybe it's not meant to last._

He was at a loss for words.

This was truly something new to him. He was known for his ability to charm almost anyone if and when he so desired. During his childhood, it had been his parents, using it to his advantage to get whatever it was he desired, be it a piece of candy or a new toy. When he reached his school days, it had served to get him out of trouble with various teachers and administrators (mostly of the female variety) and when his attentions had turned toward the fairer sex, it had served the ultimate purpose. With his blessed good-looks and charismatic ways, any girl in her right mind would have to be deaf, blind, and mute not to fall for him.

Until her.

The extraordinary woman with whom he now stood, in the depths of the Gilikin forest and without a clue as how to proceed. He was sailing into uncharted waters with nothing to help him navigate the new territory. It was exciting, wonderful, and liberating all at the same time.

And it scared the life out of him.

She turned to him. "So where do we go from here?"

He shrugged. "You're the brains of this operation. I'm just along for the ride."

His comment, meant in jest, stretched into an uncomfortable silence between them. Her gaze met his momentarily, then flickered away, uncertain of how to proceed. The silence held everything that neither wanted to face. All of the unanswered questioned, unresolved issues, and unspoken feelings that had consumed them for the length of their separation.

He took the silence, awkward as it was, as an opportunity to study her. Where had she been in the time since their schools days? She certainly wasn't the gangly, awkward girl he had known at Shiz. This girl--no, woman-- before him seemed to be everything the other wasn't. Strong, confident, brave. The epitome of advocacy. He admired her.

She sighed and allowed her gaze to wander around the forest. "I think we've lost them."

He craned his neck to confirm her statement. "We've had to. It's much too dense here for them to find us now. Besides," he smirked. "You're safe with me."

He expected a smart aleck reply that would have been reflective of their school days, but instead she softly said, "I know."

Her answer surprised him. How could she trust him so easily? Not that she was wrong in her thinking; he'd sooner die than have anything happen to her. Still, he knew that trust was not something that came easily to her. To think that he could earn her trust so easily awoke something in him. Something new and entirely different and something he couldn't put a name too. And he trusted her too. Despite all the horrendous rumors and alleged crimes that were matched to her name; despite the fact that he knew very little about her past and even less about her current life, he trusted her.

He trusted her with his life and knew she would never harm him.

And yet, as she stood there looking at him, he could see the doubts swimming in her eyes. She trusted him with her life, yes.

But what about her heart?

How could he ask her to open herself to him? To let him in to her most secret place, where she kept all her feelings, desires, and fear locked deeply away from the outside world. He wondered if she would let anyone, least if all him, into that mysterious heart of hers.

Catching her arm, he pulled her to him, whispering into her hair, "Let me in."

Her eyes widened and she took a step back. "I can't. You don't know what you would be risking."

"Maybe I don't," he said, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. "But I'm more than willing if you'll let me."

She shook her head, eyes cast downward, but saying nothing. What did he expect her to say? There was too much that needed to be said, too many questions that needed to be answered, and too many feelings to clarify. How could he make her understand that he loved her just the way she was with no strings attached and no hidden clauses? How could he convince her to take this chance with him, to take this leap with no knowledge of how long it could last or if there would be anything to catch them if they fell?

He couldn't.

She finally met his gaze and said, "I want to let you, Fiyero. Show me how."

"Gladly." Pulling her into the curve of his body, he lowered his head to hers and claimed her mouth the way he had been longing to do since she had left. She accepted him, winding her arms around his neck and leant into him, allowing his arms to support her. He smiled into their kiss, taking this small gesture as a sign of her trust in him and he felt his heart swell.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips. "For as long as we have, I love you."

She smiled as she pulled away, running a hand down his face, tracing its contours. "I never thought I'd hear you say those words to me," she admitted softly. "Even hearing it now, I'm still not sure I believe them."

"I'll do whatever I have to to prove them. Just give me a chance."

"You have it," she answered. "I don't know what the future holds for us or if we even have a future, but as long as you're with me, it feels like I finally have something to live for."

He raised a brow. "What about your work with the Animals?"

She nodded. "Of course that's important, but it can only go so far. As hard and as long as I've tried to deny it, I find it's nice to have someone who cares about me in return." Some smiled. "Someone to hold me."

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "My arms are yours for the asking."

She stepped into them without hesitation and he realized that, sometimes, taking risks was more than worth it.

_But what do you say to taking chances?  
What do you say to jumping off the edge?  
Never knowing if there's solid ground below  
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,  
What do you say?_


End file.
